Becoming what is now considered universal royalty is still an obtainable dream for young women. Today, Miss Universe has become a fixture of pop culture, ingrained in the landscape of our minds.

The Miss Universe beauty contest has been held since 1952. Founded by California clothing company Pacific Mills to showcase its Catalina brand swimwear, it became part of Kayser-Roth and then Gulf and Western Industries.

Picturesque Quito, Ecuador sets the stage as women from around the world gather for this year's exciting Miss Universe competition. The delegates will be judged in Swimsuit, Evening Gown and Interview categories during the broadcast. Other awards include National Costume, Miss Congeniality and Miss Photogenic.

Hundreds of millions of fans have watched the contest over the years in 125 different countries. The spectacular, two-hour Miss Universe competition has truly become a fixture of television pop culture, with beautiful and talented women representing their countries on stage. The most recent pageant would be broadcast on June 1, from Quito, Ecuador (Bangladesh time on June 2 at 7.00 am), in front of a live, international television audience.

During the show, a panel of 9 renowned judges will choose semi-finalists and finalists based on the women's beauty, grace, intelligence and poise, while celebrity hosts Billy Bush and Daisy Fuentes guide the audience through two incredibly fun-filled hours of exciting, prime time entertainment.

Miss Universe contestants from Serbia, Canada and Israel dance on stage during the first official presentationon recently. PHOTO: AFP